Floating toll path on Thames to let London cyclists travel without traffic jams

Artists, architects and engineers have come together with a proposal to create a bike path that would float along roughly seven miles of river Thames, creating protected bike lanes in traffic-clogged London.

The path, which will be called the Thames Deckway, would run east-west along the river's southern bank for about seven miles, from Battersea to Canary Wharf, the Verge reported.

The River Cycleway Consortium said in a statement announcing the proposal that London needs to think outside the box of conventional solutions to solve its deep-seated traffic and pollution problems and the river Thames, London's main transportation thoroughfare from Roman times up to the 19th century, is overlooked today as a major travel artery except for a handful of passenger boats.

The route will float with the tides, and satellites and on-board sensors will monitor inclement weather and notify riders. According to the consortium, the path will generate its own energy through a combination of solar, tidal, and wind power. The biggest obstacle, however, is likely the cost: 600 million pounds.